Last last month I hopped in my Hyundai Santa Fe to run an errand. I love this vehicle. As Hyundai is trying to shed its shoddy image, it has been producing very well-built cars. The Santa Fe is no exception. It’s been every bit the perfect, reliable, solid SUV that I had hoped.
Until that day. I hopped in, started it, and five seconds later the engine died. I was shocked, as it hadn’t ever shown the slightest problem. But, I figured, no problem. Hyundai has the greatest warranty in the world: 10 years or 100,000 miles. The truck is 1.5 years old, with about 16500 miles on it. Whatever the problem is, they’d fix it and I’ll be on my way within a day or two.
The truck was towed to the local dealership where I bought it. They told me the engine was flooded–water in the air filter, air filter compartment, engine and oil resevoir. They showed me the wet air filter and the dipstick, which had about an inch of clearish liquid above the normal oil level. They suggested I call my insurance company and file a claim, as their warranty doesn’t cover flooding and other acts of God. They immediately changed the fluids out to see if the engine was salvageable. It looked like it may be, but they’d need to do a little more work. I told them to wait.
The day before this happened there was heavy rain the entire day. Some areas flooded a bit. Not my neighborhood, though. I had taken a few days of leave that week, and for that entire rainy day, I didn’t go anywhere. Didn’t drive at all. There were no flash floods. The interior looks like it always has–a bunch of dog hair, but otherwise dry and tidy. The engine compartment looks like it always has–no sign of any flooding.
Since none of this makes sense, I do some research. Hyundai, it turns out, has had problems with cracked cylinder sleeves in engines installed in South Korea from June to Nov of 2000. A cracked cylinder sleeve would let coolant leak into the engine and oil, at which time the engine will seize. My South Korean engine was installed Jul 2000. There hasn’t been a recall because they’ve determined it isn’t a safety issue.
The only way I can logically explain what happened is if the mechanic had a hunch of what the real problem was (all he had to do is check the coolant level to confirm his suspicions), thought about the previous day’s weather, and decided to dunk my air filter in water. With this one simple act he can absolve Hyundai from responsibility and have insurance pay for the new engine. When/if the cracked cylinder sleeve is found after the engine quits again, it’ll be a result of the flood damage. I’m agnostic. But if it turns out the engine is fine and there is no cracked cylinder, then that’s gonna change.
If anyone has any ideas, advice, or similar stories, I’d love to hear it.